Re: UKNM: US Patents Office and e-commerece

[Daniel Bambach]

There was a discussion I remember from about a year or so ago regarding

a company that had reputedly patented a general process of storing

and streaming audio over the web. (I cant properly remember the company's

name so Im not going to make a stab in the dark and make a mistake)

I saw the patent for this, as we were planning a Music web-site, and they

had caught wind and come down on us full force with their legal documents. 


Aparently at the time this company had approached major Music Labels and

distributors with their technology and patent and had actually had them sign

up for it with the promise that if they didnt get on now, theyd be left behind

and perhaps frozen out of the whole on-line audio business!


It didnt take us long to disqualify this from our discussions, but it certainly

caused some waves for a while.


I cant help thinking that those who come brandishing these flimsy patents

should be classed alongside those who jumped on the 'register those big-name

domain names' bandwagon with the hope of selling them for vast amounts of 

money later on. Im glad that this particular breed has been seen to, and I

feel that those patents that look so frightening now will go the same way.



-------------------------------------------------------------

Daniel Bambach  

mob:	0958 341 258

fax:	0181 588 3634

danmanomniscience [dot] co [dot] uk